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In This Issue...
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Seasons Greetings!
 Hope you have all enjoyed the festive season – we would like to add our “seasons greetings” to you all!! Did you know that the only day we close is Christmas Day? This year we spent it with family at Annie’s parents’ place. We have had wonderful December, starting with our “RSVP Singles Weekend” (even if RSVP didn’t show up!), and two full Kids Camps where we rode, swam, learned, laughed and had much fun (welcome to all the kids who have just joined our newsletter list!). January sees us with 3 Kids Camps (only 2 spots left on the 9 to 13 Jan camp, and also the 16 to 20 Jan camp), family weekend getaways, and a special offer for the Australia Day long weekend (more details on that below). Don’t forget our BIG Rockley Rodeo weekend 17 to 19 Feb, our “Singles Weekends” end of Feb and beginning or March, then our next Active Horsemanship workshop in March, and another “Riders Weekend” mid March. You are sure to find something wonderful at Yarrabin in the next few months. More detail on all of these on the link below. In the meantime, enjoy your break if you get one, and best wishes for the festive season! Enjoy this issue of the Yarrabin newsletter – and happy trails!
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Singles Weekends – the next dates confirmed!
Were you part of our Singles Weekend 2 to 4 Dec? Well, it was such a success that we are running two of them in the new year. If you missed out on the last one, or you know someone who may be interested, let us know… We are running two for different age groups. The dates are 24 to 26 Feb (for 20 to 32 year olds) and 3 to 5 Mar (for 30 to 45 year olds). Only 12 spots available for each group. Join like-minded people for a fun weekend, starting with drinks and dinner on the Friday evening, then some riding and a trip to the O’Connell Pub on the Saturday, and a big country brekky and some more riding on the Sunday. VERY popular with the ladies, so we will be casting the net wide for some more guys! Details at the link below
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Win a weekend for four at Yarrabin – but competition closes end January
Keep ‘em coming!!! We have been flooded with entries for our competition!! Send us an email with your thoughts, wish lists and dreams for Yarrabin – and you could win a weekend for 4 at Yarrabin! It can be anything at all – something you would like us to start at Yarrabin, some area that may need improvement, a particular type of ride you would like to see, some suggestions for Kids Camps or for our marketing, or even just a dream you may have about Yarrabin. Anyone can enter, and we won’t limit what area your wish or idea should be in. So let your minds wander!! Send us an email (to holidays@yarrabin.com) and make sure you include your contact details and age (if under 18). The competition will run until 31 January 2006, and we will let you know the winner by 28 February 2006. Anyone can enter – even if you have never been to Yarrabin!
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PS - The Cost of Christmas now over $100K….
 Have you ever wondered of the real cost of Christmas? Well here is something we received from Wayne Mansfield who sends out the Maverick Spirit newsletter. “Hearing all those Christmas Carols as I go about my business, it got me wondering how much would the gifts that I am supposed to give my true love for Christmas cost... rather romantically I thought that they would be all things from the backyard given with love... you know the stuff "It's the thought that counts." So, I turned to my faithful Google and enquired "how much is it going to cost??" I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised but according to Associated Press, a group in America, PNC Financial Services Group, have been conducting a yearly survey on the cost of buying your true love all the gifts in the Christmas carol "The Twelve Days of Christmas". This year the cost of the gifts has risen 9.5 percent after last year's increase of just 1.5 percent. Apparently cost have been driven up by avian flu fears and the world oil crisis driving prices of petrol higher, but also gold prices are also on the rise. You'll have to shell out $450 for the five gold rings this year. And with the threat of avian flu, good luck getting three French hens from France. Though you could find local suppliers. Each year since 1982, PNC Financial Services Group, a Pittsburgh-based bank does a tongue-in-cheek tally of how much the lords a-leaping, pipers piping and maids a-milking would cost if you bought them for your true love at today's prices. This year, the price tag for all 364 items, from a partridge in a pear tree to a dozen drummers drumming - if they were bought repeatedly on each day as the song suggests: $100,844, up from $92,130 last year. For that price you could get a platinum 6.9 karat yellow diamond ring, well-equipped Porsche Cayman S sports car, nicely equipped BMW coupe, Porsche sport utility vehicle or fully-loaded 2005 Jaguar convertible. Buying each item in the song just once would set you back $25,483, up from $24,022 last year. The nine ladies dancing again cost the most - $4,576, followed by the seven swans at $4,200 and 10 leaping lords at $4,039. Also, geese cost almost twice as much and the price of swans went up by 20 percent this year, according to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens. That's because large birds come from national retailers whose shipping costs have risen due to high fuel prices. Turtledoves and calling birds, however, weren't hit by high energy prices because these smaller birds can be bought from local retailers. As for the partridge? That's still $15. I think the modern tradition, especially the one that I follow, of giving a bottle of Margaret River Red is much more sensible....”
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After an exhaustive process, we are proud to announce a new member to our team – Ian Isakson who has joined us as our cook. Ian is currently on a steep learning curve – how we do things at Yarrabin but not on how to cook!! He is actually a highly qualified and experienced chef – his nickname is “Cheffy!” So join us to sample the new Yarrabin menu (plus the ole favourites!) and some fun times.
Before you know it, the end of the school holidays will be upon us…and the kids will be bugging you for one final activity! Maybe even to show off some of their new skills after a recent Kids Camp? Or maybe you just need to escape the daily grind, to rest, relax and re-invigorate for the year ahead. Well here is a package for you!! Book in for 4 days from Wed 25 January, and pay for just 3!! You get a day for nothing! And that even includes your horse rides on that fourth day! We will probably be doing a day ride on one of those days. To take up this super offer you need to act quickly, as we have very limited space available over that Australia Day period. Better still, if you are one of the first two to book, we will throw in a complimentary bottle of wine…
Our popular Rockley Rodeo and Barrel Racing weekend is on again from Friday 17 to Sunday 19 Feb. Wanna try your hand at barrel racing with the Rockley Rodeo Runner Up 2004 (that’s Annie!!). Watch Harry ride a wild bull (well, a small steer anyway!). Even compete against Jessica in the barrel racing! Loads of fun, a party at the Rockley Pub after the rodeo, and even some horse riding on Sunday! And if you know these last names – Grafitti, Dawson, Wheeler – then you will want to be part of the “60’s Reunion” over that weekend (that’s when they first came, not their current age lol!). See the link on our website for further details
Yarrabin attracts a wide range of wonderful people, and we are never short of fabulous workers from Australia and overseas. The latest are a fun couple, Kiera and Steve from Ireland. They are on a working holiday of Australia, and we are fortunate that they have joined us for 6 weeks. Kiera is a wonderful horsewoman, and Steve is pretty good on horseback as well. He tells some funny jokes, and has been a great hit on our Kids Camps, especially when he says “33 1/3!!”
Did you know that we also run horse riding lessons? What better way to improve your riding and enjoyment by a lesson with Annie. Kids receive loads of instruction on Kids Camps, and adults can elevate their riding to a level they only dreamed of on our Active Horsemanship Workshops (next one 5 to 9 March)…..but we also run lessons mid week and by special request during holidays. But in the meantime, here is the latest tip from our guru instructor and horse rider – Annie. Its about working on your balance. Regular instruction will help fine tune your balance, but you can help it even more by doing regular exercises in the saddle. By far the best way, says Annie, is to have an experienced instructor lunge you without reins or stirrups. You’ll ache after the first few lessons, but boy, your balance will improve out of sight! If you can’t have lunge lessons, do lots of bareback riding or riding without stirrups.